The Story of Us
by CassandraMcCord
Summary: The history of Henry McCord and Elizabeth Adams, from the moment they met.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! Welcome to my new multi-chapter fic! I'm so so excited for this. Please let me know what you think :)**

Elizabeth Adams drew her jacket a little bit more closely around her slight figure. She glanced up at the Virginia sky above her, an expanse of grey clouds and swirling mist in the mid-morning air, frosty with the bite of autumn and smiled slightly. Then, she wrapped her slender fingers around the strap of her bookbag as she walked, worn white tennis shoes beating a steady pattern against the sidewalk as she took a deep breath. Elizabeth loved this time of year, and always had, when the air was cooling and the leaves on the trees had turned various shades of red and orange. Winter was coming, and that she wasn't quite so fond of but autumn- that she loved. She reveled in the way the cool air filled her lungs and lent a slight burning sensation to her chest, filling her with the scent of moss and wet leaves. This was the first cool day of the season, and it was a little early for it, much to Elizabeth's delight. She was in a good mood- much thanks to the weather, she thought, but also thanks to the fact that her morning class had been cancelled, leaving Elizabeth with time to get coffee. Reluctant to leave the cool air, but driven by her thoughts of the coffee she was about to indulge in, Elizabeth ducked into the campus coffee shop. It was frequented by many members of the student body, and this morning was no different. Elizabeth smiled slightly at the scent of coffee and stale pastry. The coffee shop was by no means elegant. In fact, it was the opposite. The booths were outfitted with cheap material and the grimy tile floor was often sticky, though with what Elizabeth was unsure. She didn't care, though. It felt homey to her, with the beaten wooden counter and the warm lighting. And the coffee wasn't half-bad.

She rarely got the chance to do this. Elizabeth was driven, and her course schedule was hefty. She could handle it, easily even, but she had to admit that it was nice to get away from it all. She looked down at the cheap, waterproof wristwatch that was peeking out from underneath the sleeve of her jacket. She shook the material back and looked at the time, pleased to discover that she had plenty of time before she would have to start heading to her next class. She ordered her coffee politely- just with cream- and leaned against the counter while she was waiting.

Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, a young man with thick, dark brown curls and hazel eyes that sparkled in the light was sitting in the corner booth, books spread out on the surface before him. A religion studies major, Henry McCord hated cold weather and had taken refuge in the coffee shop. A mug of black coffee that had already gone mostly cold was sitting in front of him, safely out of the way of his scribbling. He was doing a paper on the effect of the protestant reformation on the generations that had come after it, a topic that Henry was particularly passionate about. He was so busy making notes and flipping pages that he had failed to notice the pretty blonde who had walked in, but now that she was standing next to his booth, he had no choice but to notice her.

The first thing that struck Henry about Elizabeth was the way she carried herself- with confidence in her ragged boyfriend jeans and light sweatshirt underneath her warm-looking baseball jacket. The second thing that Henry noticed about Elizabeth was her eyes, which were ocean blue and warm rather than icy, an incredible combination that made him want to look at them for as long as she'd let him.

The first thing the Elizabeth noticed about Henry was that he was taking up most of the only table that had any space at it in the entire shop, which also happened to be the table she sat at every time she went there. She normally would have sat by herself, but she wasn't particularly bothered by the idea that she would have to share a table on that particular morning.

"Hi," she said when the dark-haired guy at the table just looked at her.

"Hi," Henry answered, sounding vaguely confused.

"Can I sit here?" she asked. Henry looked around instinctively at the other booths and the counter. Finding every seat in the place full, he put two and two together and nodded, gesturing to the seat across from him. He realized suddenly that his stuff was spread all across the table and hastily started to collect the books, his movements almost frantic and a little uncoordinated. Just as Elizabeth sat down, she watched his hand, the trajectory headed right for his coffee cup. She snatched it up with her own hand, and his narrowly missed it.

"Oh," he said, and she smiled slightly at the blush in his cheeks. Elizabeth laughed and handed it back t him, noting that it was cold. "Sorry about that."

Elizabeth shook her head, still smiling at his bashful avoidance of her eyes.

"I'm Elizabeth Adams," she said, holding out her hand to him. He looked up, met her gaze, and smiled. She watched the way it lit up his warm hazel eyes and smiled reflexively.

"Henry," he said, taking her hand to shake it. "Henry McCord."

"Henry McCord," she repeated. "Sorry to crash what I assume is studying?"

"Yeah, it is," he confirmed. "But it's fine- that you crashed, I mean. Not that you were really crashing exactly, since there are…" Henry sighed, shaking his head at his own stumbling words. Elizabeth, to his relief, laughed good-naturedly.

"I get the gist," she said kindly.

"I'm usually not this bad," he laughed. "Typically a little more capable of human speech."

Elizabeth laughed, tilting her head slightly as she watched him. There was something interesting about this guy- Henry McCord. She was drawn to him, in some way that she couldn't quite explain. She hadn't sought out romantic relationships since high school, and even then she'd dated casually. Since she'd started at UVA more than a year earlier, Elizabeth had gone on a grand total of one date, which had been lackluster to say the least. Already, five minutes after meeting him, Elizabeth could feel more of a spark with Henry than she had with that guy- although she thought perhaps that said more about the other guy than Henry.

"Want to prove it?" she asked before she could back down.

"What?" Henry asked, sounding more than a little surprised. Elizabeth grinned and gestured to his cold coffee.

"Maybe if you get some fresh coffee and sit here with me for a while, you could prove you're typically more capable of human speech," she replied, and Henry, after a beat of silence in which he wondered whether she was actually asking him to stay and talk with her, nodded his head.

"Unless you have to study," Elizabeth amended, but Henry shook his head. He smiled brightly at her.

"It can wait," he replied, and then he was sliding out of the booth, reaching across the table for his coffee cup. "I'll be right back," he told her, and Elizabeth nodded, turning her head to watch him walk away. When Henry had gone, she leaned over the table and looked at the materials that Henry had piled messily on his side of the table in his haste to make room for her. A quick look over the titles told her that it was a religion paper, one that looked interesting. She read Henry's scrawled notes and smiled to herself- he certainly seemed much more eloquent on paper than he'd been face-to-face with her just then. No sooner had she settled back in her seat had Henry returned, his coffee mug now steaming with fresh, dark coffee. He smiled at her again and Elizabeth couldn't help but think about the way he lit up when he smiled. It made her smile, too, out of reflex.

"Looks interesting," Elizabeth remarked, nodding her head at the papers she'd just been looking at. Henry nodded as he sat down.

"I think so," he agreed. "But I'm a religious studies major, so I think I'm required to think that."

"Only if you like your major," Elizabeth replied with a wry smile. Henry laughed.

"I love it," he replied, and Elizabeth met his eyes across the table, her own sparkling knowingly.

"The things we love tell us what we are," she recited. "That's-"

"Aquinas," they finished at the same time. And in that moment, with the pretty blonde named Elizabeth quoting Aquinas at him in the coffee shop, Henry McCord knew that he'd already started to fall.


	2. Chapter 2

Henry had left the coffee shop that morning with a warmth inside him that the cold weather had been unable to touch. After nearly an hour and a half of what could only be described as scintillating conversation with Elizabeth, she had written her phone number on the back of his hand and left with a dazzling smile. Henry had been walking on air ever since, frequently looking down at the fading ink on his hand and thinking back to the ninety minutes he'd spent across the table from Elizabeth. He'd transferred her number very carefully to a slip of paper that was still resting on the surface of his desk in his tiny apartment, with "Elizabeth Adams" printed neatly above the numbers.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, had been dwelling on Henry almost as much as he'd been dwelling on her. She'd thoroughly enjoyed talking with him, so much so that she found herself hoping he would call every time she was home. Three days after they'd met in the coffee shop, he did. Elizabeth answered the phone casually with a standard greeting as she tore her eyes away from the page of equations she'd been working through when he had called.

"Elizabeth? It's Henry."

Suddenly, the equations didn't seem that important anymore.

"Henry, hi," Elizabeth answered, her voice warm. Henry smiled reflexively at the sound.

"Hi," he replied. "How are you?"

"Good," she replied, a little more eager-sounding than she'd meant to be. _Calm down, Elizabeth. He's just a guy,_ she told herself. She twirled her finger around the cord of the phone and steadied herself. "How about you?" she asked.

"Good," Henry echoed quickly. "Really good. Um, so I was calling because...well, because you gave me your number obviously so I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me tonight."

Henry's words were a rush, as if he was forcing himself to get them all out before he could change his mind and damn it if that wasn't really endearing. Elizabeth's joy, however, was short-lived, because as she glanced over at her roommate's desk, currently empty, and recalled the reluctant commitment she'd made to accompany Becky to whatever strange period dance she was so excited about. Elizabeth inwardly cursed having agreed to it, but the thing was tonight. How was she supposed to back down now?

"I'm really sorry, but I can't," Elizabeth replied. "Please don't feel like I'm ditching you or whatever," she began, "because this is going to sound like a lame excuse but my crazy roommate wants me to go to that stupid Jane Austen dance thing, and a last minute date isn't going to be a good enough excuse to get me out of it without there being hell to pay later. And I already told her I'd go, in a momentary lapse of judgement."

Henry, though disappointed, had to laugh at that.

"How about tomorrow?" Elizabeth suggested, brightening at even the thought of it.

"Tomorrow's fine," Henry agreed.

"I'm sorry. I really wish I could go out with you instead of...whatever Becky's dragging me to," Elizabeth said.

"It's fine," Henry assured her. "Why don't I pick you up at 6:30 tomorrow?"

"That's perfect," Elizabeth replied. She rattled off her address for him, which Henry printed neatly below her phone number. They said their goodbyes and Henry hung up, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. He stretched his arms above his head and thought about the phone call. It had been nicer than he'd like to admit to hear Elizabeth's voice again. He was pretty sure that wasn't exactly normal for a girl he'd met just once before, but he found that he didn't care that much. He was too happy to care. He'd never felt like this about any girl before, which was equal parts terrifying and thrilling. He did wish that he could have seen Elizabeth that evening, though, a feeling that was only amplified by her obvious desire for the same thing. She had sounded genuinely sorry that she'd agreed to her roommate's event, and it was at the moment that he thought about that, that an idea occurred to Henry and he sat up straight again.

He could just go to the dance. It was the perfect plan. Well, Henry internally amended, maybe not perfect, exactly. For one thing, he didn't have anything that he could wear to something like that, and briefly he wondered if Elizabeth did. He shook that thought off- he'd see tonight, after all- and racked his brains. Then, it hit him and Henry smiled as he slipped into a pair of shoes and his jacket, heading out of the apartment. Two floors down on the left hand-side, Henry knocked on a familiar door, and a moment later a familiar face replaced it.

"Hey, Henry," said Tom Hodges, a friend of Henry's from the time they'd had freshman math together.

"Hey," Henry answered. "Sorry to bother you, but I have kind of an odd favor to ask."

Tom leaned against the doorframe and nodded, signaling Henry to go on.

"Your girlfriend is in theatre, right?" he prefaced, and waited for Tom's answer.

"Yeah," Tom replied, sounding understandably puzzled.

"Okay, so I met this girl," Henry continued, "and I was going to take her out tonight, which she genuinely wanted to do, but she'd already promised her roommate that she'd go to that Jane Austen thing tonight, so...I was thinking I'd just go too. But I have nothing to wear to something like that, and I know the theatre department just did-"

"My Fair Lady, right," Tom said, cottoning on to Henry's plan. Tom glanced down at his wristwatch, and then grinned back up at Henry.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed, and Henry smiled.

"Thanks, I owe you one," he answered. Tom laughed.

"Must be some girl," he remarked as the two of them set off, and Henry smiled slightly as he nodded.

"Yeah, I think she is."

While Henry was scheming across campus, Elizabeth was in her dorm room, sitting on her bed and sulking. She had been in a mixed mood ever since her phone call with Henry. She was thrilled at the prospect of going out with him the next day, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed that she'd had to turn him down for that evening. She told herself that she'd done the right thing- she had never been able to stand the kind of girl who would cancel on her friends to go out with her boyfriend. Not that Becky was exactly her _friend_ per se. Becky was a little insane, but she wasn't wild and she was a decent roommate. And she'd been so excited about this dance, that Elizabeth had said yes. Granted, when she'd made that decision she'd had no idea she was just days away from meeting a really cute boy at the coffee shop. She'd been banking on complete boredom and nowhere better to go than Becky's dance. As she watched Becky flit about getting ready, the very last thing Elizabeth wanted to do was go with her roommate to this dance.

"Becky?" she said. Her roommate turned inquisitively.

"How upset would you be if I didn't go tonight?" Elizabeth asked. Becky pouted at her.

"Lizzie, it's going to be really fun!" Becky whined.

"No, I'm sure," Elizabeth answered. "It's just that I have this paper to write and I really don't want to do it last minute."

Becky sighed dramatically.

"Okay," she said, "but you don't know what you're missing!"

Elizabeth knew exactly what she was missing- a date with Henry. But with a glance at the clock, she decided that it was too late and would look too desperate to call him back now, so she resigned herself to actually writing the paper that she'd just been using as an excuse.

The following evening, after returning his borrowed clothing to Tom's girlfriend, Henry showered and got ready to meet Elizabeth. She had not shown up the night before, and while he had been disappointed and unsure as to why she'd lie to him, he didn't have a lot of options. He couldn't exactly call her up and ask her why she hadn't been where she had said she would be. He had considered it, but playing out the conversation in his head had made him realize how creepy it would sound and he had nixed that idea. Eventually, as he replayed learning the quadrille in his head, he'd decided he would just go pick her up as planned.

When he arrived to pick Elizabeth up at 6:25, he found her waiting outside and drew in a breath. With her blonde curls down and dressed in black pants and a baby blue blouse that made her eyes sparkle even more brilliantly, she was a vision. Henry almost forgot that he was worried she'd blown him off the day before as she smiled and waved and he responded in kind. He kissed her cheek in greeting and Elizabeth tried to hide the blush that crept into her skin where his lips had touched her. Henry opened the car door for her and loped easily back around to the driver's side, and moments later they were headed toward the restaurant that Henry had chosen. He glanced over at her, gathering his courage.

"So how was your Jane Austen dance?" he asked, congratulating himself on sounding casual. Elizabeth grinned at him.

"I managed to get out of it," she admitted. "Begged off to write a paper."

"Why?" he asked, and Elizabeth sighed.

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"I was annoyed that I'd turned you down and it kind of ruined my mood," she admitted. Henry smiled slightly and nodded, thinking back on his morning coat and top hat and deciding that he never needed to speak of it again.


	3. Chapter 3

"I have an odd request for you."

Henry and Elizabeth were on the phone, Elizabeth in her dorm building and Henry at his apartment. Their date had gone exceptionally well. They'd learned so much about one another, covering every topic they could think of at a rapid-fire pace, from politics and religion to their favorite colors and their siblings. While Elizabeth hadn't spoken of her parents, Henry hadn't thought much of it. She'd been animated and engaged throughout, as had he, and conversation had flowed easily. They'd spent a great deal of time in the corner booth of the restaurant, lingering well after their food was consumed. Henry was completely enamored; his thoughts since that evening were often of Elizabeth, and he was very hopeful that their next date would be equally successful. When his phone had rung and he'd picked it up to find that it was Elizabeth, he'd been unable to keep the smile off of his face.

"What's that?" he asked her now, wondering vaguely in the back of his mind if there was anything she could ask him for that he would refuse to do. He was sure there was something, but he couldn't come up with it just then.

"Well...I want you to come and vote with me," she said. Henry smiled slightly to himself at that; he took voting very seriously. It was among his civic duties, and he'd voted at every election since turning eighteen, after doing diligent research to ensure he was voting based on fact rather than any hearsay or impressions he'd mistakenly gotten from others. Judging by this hesitant invitation, he would guess that Elizabeth was much the same way- and that she'd probably gotten as much flack as he had for it from their less conscientious peers.

"I would love that," Henry replied sincerely.

"Really?" There was no small amount of surprise in Elizabeth's voice at his ready agreement.

"Really," he confirmed. "I take my civic duties very seriously." Elizabeth giggled and then her tone had taken on a teasing, lilting note that made Henry smile reflexively.

"Well I hope you've done your homework, McCord," she said, and Henry's heart skipped a beat in his chest.

"I'll have you know I'm an excellent student," he replied, and she laughed.

"Alright," she said. "You can prove it on Tuesday."

Henry and Elizabeth walked side by side in the direction of the polling place on campus, both of them pulling their jackets closer around themselves against the biting November air.

"So…" Elizabeth began with a sideways glance at Henry. "Who are you voting for?"

He laughed as he looked over to meet her eyes.

"Out of the gate with the telling questions," he remarked. Elizabeth shrugged.

"I think it's the answers which are telling," she fired back at him; Henry laughed again. He wondered briefly if he looked ridiculous, laughing at everything that she said. But when he glanced over and saw the small, satisfied smile on her face he was pretty sure he was okay.

"You know, I have a constitutional right to privacy at the ballot box," Henry reminded her.

"Telling answers," Elizabeth sang, and he grinned.

"Alright then who are you voting for?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Whoever supports my constitutional right to privacy at the ballot box," she answered and with a grin she was gone from his side and off to cast her vote. Henry watched her go for a moment, marveling at the existence of someone like Elizabeth Adams, and then he, too set off to vote.

When the two of them reunited a short time later, they were each sporting oval-shaped "I Voted" stickers, which they wore proudly displayed on their shoulders. Elizabeth smiled brightly at Henry as he joined her, leaning over the brick wall she was standing by to grin at him.

"So who'd you vote for?" she asked, and Henry laughed.

"I won't tell you who I voted for," he began, "but I will tell you who I think is going to win."

"Bush," the two of them said at the same time, and then, following a beat of silence, they both burst into raucous laughter that took them a moment to recover from. Elizabeth couldn't help thinking that it was so nice to laugh like that- she'd had her share of fun over the past few years, but there was still something different about being with Henry. Something more freeing, somehow. She was equally as terrified of it as she was thrilled by it, but something told her that the fear was worth it. She smiled at henry, both of them having composed themselves again.

"I guess I'll have to trust that you made an educated decision," she said, and Henry nodded solemnly.

"I assure you that I did," he answered.

"Well," Elizabeth shrugged with another smile, "that's all I can really ask for."

She looked up at him and Henry held her gaze, enamored just as he'd been at their first meeting by the way her eyes sparkled. There was some light there that he could not identify, but to which he was inexplicably drawn.

"So," he said, clearing his throat and dragging his gaze from elizabeth's to look down at his watch before glancing back up at her. "How do you feel about breakfast?"

Elizabeth glanced down at her watch, too, and then up at Henry, who was several inches taller than her.

"It's a little late for breakfast," she remarked, but was quick to add on to that when Henry's face started to fall. "But I could go for brunch."

Henry smiled at her, hoping she hadn't seen his disappointment. He didn't want to seem overly eager to spend time with her, despite the fact that he absolutely was.

"Brunch it is," he announced, and they fell into step side by side, with Henry guiding their course.

"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked. Henry smiled at her.

"Back to the beginning," he answered in an attempt to sound mysterious which only made Elizabeth laugh.

"The coffee shop?" she guessed, though it sounded more like a statement than the question that it was.

"Yes," Henry admitted. "If that's okay with you." Elizabeth smiled, and with a glance down at her hand which was hanging close to Henry's, she deftly intertwined their fingers and smiled when Henry's palm rested against her own.

"Sounds perfect to me," she said, and just like that, election day took on a whole new meaning.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, so in this chapter I incorporate one of my existing one-shots, which I'll be doing some more of along the way. Let me know what you think!**

When Henry walked Elizabeth back to her dorm building after an extended brunch on Election Day, he did so a little sadly. He couldn't get enough of spending time with Elizabeth, and seeing their morning together draw to a close made him wish it would never end. Unbeknownst to Henry, Elizabeth found herself in much the same vein of thought. She reveled in the feeling of Henry's hand in hers and glanced over at him. This was technically their third date, and she had to admit she was hoping he might take that next little step outside her building before saying goodbye. She watched the way the wind ruffled his dark, messy hair. It made her want to run her fingers through it and she suppressed a shiver. Henry glanced over at Elizabeth, too, taking note of the way the wind lent a pink tinge to her cheeks and the tip of her nose. It made him wish that he could kiss her- not that he hadn't been wishing for that already. It was their third date, Henry reminded himself; it would be perfectly acceptable to kiss her, wouldn't it? Suddenly Henry found himself nervous. Another glance at Elizabeth as they walked side by side in comfortable silence, and Henry had resolved himself to attempt it. He was planning it all out in his head and mentally attempting to prepare himself. He could do this, he told himself. It was easy.

As the pair of them approached the building where Elizabeth lived, they each slowed their footsteps slightly. Neither of them particularly wanted this little date to end, and had Elizabeth not had a test that she needed to study for, she would have been very likely to extend her time with Henry. Instead, she turned slightly toward him and smiled, unaware that his heart was hammering against his ribs.

"Thanks for voting with me," she said. He grinned at her.

"It was a pleasure," he replied sincerely. "As was brunch afterward."

"Those waffles were really good," Elizabeth agreed, and tilted her head slightly. "I guess the company was okay, too," she added, and Henry laughed.

He hesitated, the two of them just looking at one another there in the cool breeze and weak sunshine that was filtering through the clouds. His heart was racing and Elizabeth was just looking at him, almost as if she were waiting for something.

"Elizabeth?" Henry heard himself say softly, her name like honey on his tongue.

"Henry?" she replied.

"May I kiss you?" he asked, forcing the words out before he could lose his nerve. He watched her anxiously, only to see a sweet smile appear on her features

"You may," she replied with a little nod of her head. Henry felt his breath hitch as they each leaned in slightly and his hand came to rest on her cheek, warming the cool skin there as his fingertips brushed her soft golden curls. He brushed his lips lightly against hers and back again, hovering there. The kiss was soft and chaste, but it sent sparks flying through both of their bodies and Henry felt Elizabeth lean into him as she squeezed his hand ever-so-slightly. The moment seemed to last both a lifetime and no time at all, and then it was over, and their eyes had met again. Elizabeth smiled at him.

"Let's do that again soon," she murmured. Then, with a small and knowing smile for him that sent his whole being into even more of a tailspin, she kissed his cheek and then she was gone, leaving Henry alone on the sidewalk. He smiled to himself; life with Elizabeth Adams in it only seemed to get better and better.

Over the month of November, Henry and Elizabeth saw one another with increasing frequency. They went out several times, and spent a fair amount of time studying together, which consisted mostly of furtive glances and flirting that left them both trying to stifle their laughter in their little corner of the library. Elizabeth was exactly the kind of girl Henry had always hoped to end up with; she was kind and smart, and she was far from self-absorbed. She could more than keep up with him in any conversation or debate, constantly keeping him on his toes with just enough mystery to keep him guessing. He had fallen hard and fast for her, and it seemed now that there was no end to how far he could fall. After their first kiss, Elizabeth's request had been granted; they'd done it again very soon, and on every occasion that they'd seen one another since. The kisses had become more intense and more heated; Henry had discovered that Elizabeth was an excellent kisser, and she'd said the same about him. He had blushed and she had laughed. Then, she'd kissed him again.

Elizabeth was falling hard for Henry, too. It frightened her a little bit, but mostly she was just enjoying it. She enjoyed spending time with Henry, probably more so than anyone she'd met since she'd come to UVA. She hadn't been extremely social, and as a result hadn't met many friends there. The few people she had made friends with were more like acquaintances; it didn't particularly bother Elizabeth, but she had to admit that it was nice to be this close to someone again. She had been expertly skirting the topic of her parents, and Henry hadn't seemed to notice, even when she evaded the topic of going home for Thanksgiving at the end of November. Henry had tentatively introduced Elizabeth to his friend Tom as his girlfriend, and was rewarded by Elizabeth's bright, dazzling smile, which was a relief. Little did Elizabeth know that Henry had sworn Tom and his girlfriend to silence regarding the Jane Austen dance before he'd agreed to allow them to meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth's only worry was that she was becoming too close to Henry; since her parents' death, she had ruined more than one friendship by being "too clingy" and she had resolved not to do that once she'd started college. It played a part in why she hadn't made close friends at UVA, save for Henry.

Now, following the Thanksgiving break, Henry and Elizabeth had just gone out for dinner at the off-campus pizza place frequented by many UVA students. As they'd been walking back, hand in hand as they often were, Henry had turned to Elizabeth a little hesitantly.

"Do you want to come and hang out at my apartment for a little bit?" he asked, sounding unsure but hopeful. And Elizabeth had just hesitated for a moment before she had agreed, which had brought them here. Elizabeth was only a little bit nervous as she stood in the hallway and waited for Henry to unlock the door to his apartment. She'd been slightly surprised when he'd invited her home to his apartment the way he had. At the same time, however, she wasn't sure why she'd expected Henry to be that different from what she'd heard college guys in general were like. She supposed it had only been a matter of a time, and she was okay with that. It wasn't as if she wasn't willing to have sex with Henry; in fact, she was more than willing. He was easily the most attractive guy she'd gone out with, in addition to the nicest and the smartest. All in all, he was a real catch, and if their make-out sessions were any indication, tonight was going to be one of the better first nights she could hope for. She supposed there had just been a part of her that hoped for the chivalry, the lack of pressure, all those things she'd seen in the movies and never quite managed to find. It had seemed like a possibility with Henry. Shaking it off, Elizabeth resolved to just enjoy herself tonight and see what happened. Sex wasn't a bad thing, after all, and she had to admit that in spite of her lingering feelings of slight disappointment, she was genuinely looking forward to it.

As she followed him into his apartment for the first time, she looked around. The place was homey and warm, which didn't surprise her. Henry was more sensitive and grown-up than the guys she typically ended up with. He had a large collection of books, arrayed over several shelves, and his furniture was nice, but not new. She didn't mind; in fact, she liked the lived-in feeling that it lent to the place. It was tidy, but not too clean, and she liked it.

"Nice place," she remarked as Henry set his keys down on the counter and reached out to take her coat, which she willingly handed over to him.

"Thanks," he replied, watching as she ambled over to the bookshelves. He smiled slightly; he loved that the books were what had drawn her in immediately. It just confirmed for him- again- that Elizabeth was exactly the kind of girl he wanted in his life. Possibly forever. No, he thought as he looked over at her running her delicate fingers along the spines of his books, taking in each of the titles. Not possibly. Definitely forever. He'd keep that to himself for now, though. He didn't want to scare her off. If he was going to keep her around as long as he wanted to, that was the last thing he wanted to do.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as he went about flicking on the lamps.

"What are you looking it?" he asked, moving to stand next to her and looking down at the book in her hand. It was his copy of _The Metamorphosis_.

"Kafka," she replied. Henry nodded.

"Familiar with it?" he asked her, and she shot him a look that clearly read ' _are you kidding? Of course'._ Henry chuckled at that.

"Forgive me," he intoned, and she rolled her eyes, but it was good-natured. He loved that about her, the way she made no apologies for her sharp wit and intelligence. Henry was pretty sure he could just sit and talk with her all day, every day, for the rest of his life.

"Not one of my favorites, personally," Elizabeth remarked as she replaced the book back where she'd gotten it.

"Nor mine," Henry admitted. "It felt like an important one to have on the shelf." She laughed at that, recalling some of her own collection that had just seemed like they were books she ought to own in spite of the fact that she'd not particularly enjoyed them and wasn't very likely to read them again.

"You know," Henry began, clearing his throat in an attempt to hide his nervousness that did not work at all, "there is a reason that I brought you here tonight."

 _And there it is_ , she thought.

"Oh?" she replied, glancing over at him. Henry stuck his hands nervously in his pockets and nodded.

"Bet I can guess," she remarked quietly.

Henry laughed, catching her drift.

"Oh, I bet you can't," he replied. "It's not what you think."

"It's not?" she repeated. She had to admit, she was starting to doubt herself.

"No," Henry replied, shaking his head as he chanced a glance in her direction. "I'll give you a hint," he said. "It involves letters."

That threw her off. Letters? Elizabeth no longer had any clue what was going on, so she went for the offensive.

"Letters?" she repeated. "That could mean a number of things." She started to tick them off on her fingers. "The alphabet, a collection of addresses from one person to another, _writing_ addresses from one person to another…"

Henry smiled slightly.

"You were closer with the first one," he replied, and she racked her brains to try and come up with what that could possibly mean. She was still thinking when Henry approached one of his bookshelves and reached for a box that was resting on top of it, pulling it down with very little effort. When the box was resting in his hands, Elizabeth could glance over and see it very clearly. The sight caused a smile to spread over her face.

Scrabble.

Suddenly, looking up at the slight smile on Henry's face, Elizabeth felt a rush of warm affection. Maybe, she mused, there was more to this than she'd thought.

"Told you it wasn't what you thought," he said.

"Who says this isn't what I thought?" she tossed out as she reached out her hand for the box and sat down on one side of his low coffee table, long legs crossed underneath her. Henry laughed, but said nothing as he sat down across from her.

"Prepare to go down, McCord," she said as she pulled the board from the box. Her blue eyes met his in a challenging stare, and Henry smiled. He had no chance at winning this game, and he knew it, but he didn't care. If he could get her to look at him like that, he'd be willing to lose a million games of Scrabble.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is kinda long! I hope you guys don't mind too much! It's a combination of two of my existing one shots and I think it's kind of disjointed but hopefully not too bad. Thanks for reading!**

Their first fight as a couple, which had happened following a Christmas party just before the break, had been over the way Henry had ignored her during a social event. He hadn't meant to; he'd seen an old friend and gotten caught up in talking to him. Elizabeth, for her part, normally wouldn't have minded. However, they'd discussed her anxieties about this particular dinner earlier in the day, and he'd assured her that it would be fine. She hadn't wanted to go in the first place, but Henry had assured her that he'd be there with her. And then, he hadn't been, and exactly what she'd feared had happened.

Now, they stood facing one another in her otherwise empty dorm room, the air around them thick with tension.

"Look, Elizabeth, I said I was sorry!" Henry said. "I don't know how much more you want from me."

She shrugged her shoulders and he sighed in frustration, before reaching out to pick up his bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going home," he answered shortly, and he was in the process of tying his shoes when he heard a shuddering breath and looked up to find tears streaming down her face. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. He'd just been planning on going home, giving her some space, maybe bringing her some breakfast the next morning to smooth things over. But now, she stood sobbing before him, and whatever anger he'd been holding onto was fading fast. Elizabeth, meanwhile, felt like she was spinning out of control. She'd let herself get so attached to Henry in such a short amount of time- exactly what she'd sworn she wasn't going to do once she got to UVA- and now he was going to leave her, too, just like her parents had. Just like all of the friends who'd said she was too clingy. And suddenly, Elizabeth's insecurity was bared where it was usually covered by bravado and confidence.

"Elizabeth?" he asked cautiously. "You okay?"

It was awkward and strange, and he knew it, but he had no idea what else to say.

"I just thought this was going to be different," she said quietly. He stared at her, confused, and slowly slipped his shoes back off.

"You thought what was going to be different?" he asked.

"Us," she admitted. "I guess I was wrong."

"Elizabeth, what are you talking about?" he inquired. She gestured to his bag and shoes.

"You're leaving," she said, sounding defeated. "And it's just hard to think that it's over," she added, her voice breaking. Suddenly, it hit him that she actually thought he was leaving, not only the apartment, but her.

"Oh, Elizabeth," he murmured, and moved forward so that he was standing right in front of her. She hesitated, but didn't step back, looking up into his eyes as he tenderly brushed a strand of her hair off of her face.

"What are you doing?" she breathed.

"Baby, I'm not breaking up with you," he explained softly. Tears filled her eyes again at his words, and he reached out to pull her close to him, his heart breaking at the cautious way she snuggled into his embrace.

"Henry," she breathed, and her voice wavered. He held her a little tighter against him, smoothing a hand over her blonde hair.

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed. "I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm right here."

Something in her had broken, and she wrapped her fingers around the fabric of his shirt as she tried to control the crying. She hated that she was crying in front of him, hated that she'd thought he was leaving, hated all of it. Hated that she felt this way.

"Elizabeth, it was just a fight," he said as he held her there in the middle of the room. "Couples fight. It doesn't mean it's over." He pressed his lips against the top of her head, tucked in against his shoulder. "I'm not leaving you," he repeated.

A few minutes later, she pulled back to look at him, and he just smiled tenderly before kissing her forehead lightly.

"Don't apologize," he said, cutting her off before she could get started. She smiled ruefully and nodded, and then he tilted her chin up with one finger, bringing her lips to his. When they pulled apart, he smiled at her.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "For being different."

Henry laughed lightly.

"I'm just being myself," he replied, and Elizabeth thought that maybe that was the best part of it all. Henry wasn't trying to be different; he was just being Henry. She took comfort in that, the idea that he was so completely himself that she didn't have to worry that he was being disingenuous with her. It made her feel safer, more comfortable, and more herself. As she kissed Henry goodnight and he tenderly brushed his fingers over her cheek, Elizabeth realized for the first time that Henry complimented her in ways that no one else ever had. It was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating, and yet as she closed the door behind Henry and leaned back against it, she found that she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

The first week that Henry and Elizabeth were back at UVA after a Christmas break that Elizabeth had spent at her aunt's house in Virginia for the first time in two years, they spent a lot of time together. On one particular evening in the second week of January, the couple had been sitting together on Henry's couch, Elizabeth leaned back against him, both of them with their school books open. As much as it was a necessity to study, it felt like a necessity to be together as well. The relationship, while still fairly new, felt serious to both of them. They were still somewhat cautious around each other in certain ways, but neither of them had ever had a relationship that felt like what they had between them, and that was enough to make them both hopeful in their own private ways. Henry expressed it through making dinner for her in his tiny apartment and Elizabeth expressed it by teasing him and letting him in bit by bit, and they understood one another. They were happy like that, going on dates and spending their evenings studying together and sometimes getting a little distracted by each other.

Well, maybe more than sometimes.

It was all new and beautiful and exciting, but on that particular evening as Henry looked down at Elizabeth, it felt like more than that. With the warm light from the lamp next to his couch illuminating her face and her golden locks of hair escaping from their ponytail as a result of the makeout session they'd been having an hour ago, it felt like more than new and exciting. He watched the way her eyes so intensely scanned the page before her and the way she took it all in, the way she bit her lip a little bit in concentration, and to Henry, it felt right. She felt right, and in those moments he knew with shining, brilliant clarity that he was in love with Elizabeth Adams. It was as terrifying as it was exhilarating, to look over at her and think that she was the one human being he wanted to spend every single day with. It was a breathtaking realization, and not one that Henry wanted to keep to himself.

"Elizabeth?" he said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over them. She glanced back at him in response.

"Yeah?"

He met her gaze and took a breath.

"I love you," he said. It was as if the whole energy of the room shifted; he could almost see her shutting down before his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"I said I love you," Henry repeated, although he was quite sure that she had heard him the first time. She drew in a breath, and Henry watched her. His golden glow was fading away at an alarming rate, and he wished desperately that he could rewind even thirty seconds and just keep his mouth shut, if only to keep her from looking at him the way she was now.

"I need some air," she choked, and just like that she was gone, off the couch and out the door, not even stopping to grab her coat. Henry stayed frozen in his spot on the couch, unsure what to do in response to Elizabeth's unexpectedly harsh reaction. He was running it over and over in his head, wondering what had prompted her to respond that way. It wasn't as if his love for her was some big secret; he may not have said it aloud, but if you'd asked him five minutes before he spoke the words aloud, he would have said without a doubt that Elizabeth knew he loved her. Now, he was left alone in the apartment to question everything, not least of which whether he should go after her.

Ultimately, after an agonizing several minutes of debate, Henry decided that he had to. He stood, grabbed his coat, and headed outside. On the sidewalk below his apartment, Henry turned from left to right, scanning his surroundings for Elizabeth. It was still early, only seven o' clock, but it was also January, which meant that it was dark. Frustrated, Henry picked a direction and started walking, hoping that he could even find her in the darkness. Luckily, he had picked the right direction; shortly after he'd started walking, he spotted her on a nearby bench, leaning forward with her head in her hands. He approached slowly, not wanting to startle her too badly. As he drew closer, he could see her shivering.

"Elizabeth?" he said softly. She looked up at him and sighed. "Sweetheart, it's freezing," he said, shrugging out of his coat so that he could drape it over her shoulders instead.

"You're going to be cold now," she said, her voice small and a little bit shaky.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively. "You're shaking."

"Thank you," she replied softly, drawing the jacket in closer around her body. She looked so small, sitting there wrapped up in his warm jacket but still trembling, whether with cold or with something else, Henry wasn't quite sure.

"I'm sorry if I crossed a line," Henry said a moment later. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Elizabeth chuckled lightly, shaking her head before she tilted it back to look up at the clear night sky above them.

"It's not that, Henry," she admitted. She looked over at him and met his gaze. "It's just that...you told me you loved me and I freaked out because the last time someone said that to me, they left and I never saw them again."

Silence followed her admission, and Henry sighed.

"Oh, Elizabeth," he breathed. "I'm sorry."

"No, see, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen," she sighed, sounding frustrated. "I've known it was coming, and I've been trying to prepare myself but...it turns out I still just wasn't prepared. I didn't leave because I was upset with you. I left because I was upset with myself for not reacting the way I wanted to."

"You reacted naturally," Henry assured her quietly. "No one would ever expect anything else from you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth laughed through her tears.

"No, Henry," she corrected him, " _you_ wouldn't expect anything else from me."

She smiled slightly, reaching out to brush her cold fingertips over his cheek.

"That's what I love about you," she said softly, and Henry's heart skipped a beat in his chest. He caught up her fingers in his hand and pressed a kiss against the icy skin.

"I will never expect anything of you except for you to be you," he told her sincerely. "And," he added with a smile, "that you let me take care of you."

She smiled slightly, nodding her head.

"Speaking of which," Henry continued, "let's get you inside. It's freezing out here."

He stood and held his hand out to her, which she took, entangling her fingers with his. He started to head back toward his apartment building, but her tug on his hand stopped him, pulling him back to stand before her in the dimly lit space.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Elizabeth shook her head, taking a tiny step that brought her close to him. Resting her hand on his chest, she rose up on the balls of her feet to press her lips against his. She tasted of hot chocolate, and Henry smiled slightly against her.

"I love you, Henry McCord," she whispered into the darkness, her voice low and sincere, almost reverent. It sent a shiver down his spine, hearing those words aloud for the first time.

"I love you, too," he murmured softly, and this time, the words brought a smile to Elizabeth's face.

Once they were back inside, Elizabeth sat back down on the couch, but closed her book and looked at Henry, determination shining clearly in her eyes.

"It was my parents," Elizabeth said boldly, and Henry's steps faltered for a moment before he sat next to her. He knew that Elizabeth had never spoken explicitly to him of her parents, but he hadn't really thought about it. Suddenly, he wondered why he had never thought it odd. It seemed like something he should have paid more attention to.

"I'm sorry," Henry said.

"It's okay," Elizabeth answered. "I was fifteen. And since then, I've lost a lot of friends because they think I'm too clingy." She looked down at her hands and drew in a breath. "I swore I wasn't going to get too attached when I came here, but.." she chuckled lightly and looked up to meet Henry's gaze. "You kinda ruined that," she said softly. Henry smiled slightly, and then reached out to take her hand.

"I'm not sorry about that," he confessed, and she smiled too.

"I'm not, either," she replied, and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I just thought you should know," she added a little awkwardly.

"Elizabeth?" Henry said, and she looked up inquisitively.

"Thank you," he said, and Elizabeth nodded silently before Henry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and their warm, golden evening fell back into place, the two of them just a little closer in every way than they'd been before.


	6. Chapter 6

Elizabeth was holding a casserole dish as she climbed the steps to the McCord family home, and she was pretty sure she'd never been more nervous. It hadn't been easy, letting Henry McCord into her life and past the walls of her insecurity, but now he was firmly planted there and she intended to keep him around for a long, long time. Maybe partially because she didn't want to go through the process of letting someone get to know her like that again, but mostly because he was her absolute favorite person on the planet.

And she was about to meet his family for the first time.

Henry had been cautious about bringing her home to meet them; Elizabeth thought back now on that conversation.

" _Why are you so hesitant about this?" Elizabeth asked. She and Henry had landed on the topic of spring break; they'd agreed that they wanted to spend it together, and Elizabeth had high hopes for what that could mean, but Henry was expected home for Easter Sunday. His intention, he had informed her, was to spend the weekend in Pittsburgh and the rest of the week with her. When she had suggested the idea of her accompanying him on his weekend in Pittsburgh, Henry had frozen, and now he looked caught as she pressed him._

" _It's just that...they can be difficult," Henry explained, well aware that his explanation was very lacking. Elizabeth fixed him with a look he knew well and Henry sighed._

" _It's not that I don't want you to meet them," he assured her. "Or for them to meet you. It's just that I'm worried they're going to scare you off or be too harsh to you."_

 _Elizabeth rolled her eyes._

" _Have you met me?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't scare easily."_

Henry had to admit that she had a point there, and so he had relented and now the time had come. She couldn't wait to meet the family of the man who had changed her life, but Henry had warned her that they weren't all very easy to get along with. Elizabeth had insisted, though; she wanted to meet them, all of them. She hadn't spent a holiday surrounded by people in years, and she had to admit that she was excited. Even so, her stomach churned as they headed for the front door.

"You ready?" Henry asked. She nodded determinedly.

"Yes," she answered, and he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Let's go," he said as he reached for the door.

By the time Easter lunch was served the day after their arrival at the McCord home, including Elizabeth's casserole contribution- she'd met them all. Henry's mother, Alice, was a delight. Elizabeth could see where Henry's kind, thoughtful nature came from. His brother was nice, if a little bit distant, and his youngest sibling, Erin, was extroverted and easy to talk to. His father, Patrick, was a bit of a different story. He was gruff and had a hard exterior, but Elizabeth, in her perceptive nature, could see a kind heart there nonetheless. The elder of Henry's sisters, Maureen, was quite the most difficult of the bunch. She was forceful and brash, and Elizabeth felt immediate coldness from her. She was pretty sure Maureen couldn't have liked her less, and tried to avoid her. Henry's family, she was learning, were a little bit overwhelming after spending so much time without a family around her. Henry took her hand under the table, though, and that made her feel somewhat more calm, as it had every time he did it. She tangled her fingers with his and listened to Shane and Patrick debate over football, despite the fact that football season was still months away. She marveled a little bit at how different Henry was from his dad and brother; she was quite sure she hadn't heard Henry mention football once in the time they'd known one another.

Soon, everyone was eating and Elizabeth was starting to feel a little bit more relaxed. Going to mass that morning had made her slightly uncomfortable, but she'd gotten over it pretty quickly and the food was amazing.

"What is this?" Maureen asked as she picked at something on her plate, disgust plain in her tone. Elizabeth peered over at the plate reflexively, her heart dropping as she realized that Maureen was talking about the casserole Elizabeth had made. She knew she wasn't fantastic in the kitchen, but the recipe had been simple and she'd not wanted to show up empty-handed. She had wanted to make a good first impression on the McCords, and she had thought it was going well- until now.

Henry had noticed too, and Maureen's criticisms were out in full force now.

"Did someone dump a boatload of salt in this?" she was asking. "Ugh!"

"Maureen."

Elizabeth glanced over at Henry at the sound of his voice, dangerously low and sharper than she'd ever heard him speak.

"Knock it off," he said.

"Why, because your fancy girlfriend made it?' Maureen sneered. "Just because she's too rich to bother to know how to cook for herself doesn't mean I need to eat the stuff."

Elizabeth felt frozen to the spot, as if she couldn't move. Her fingers tightened around Henry's under the table as he tensed.

"Stop," Henry said.

"Alright, guys," Alice said. "Maureen, cool it; if you don't like something, keep your mouth shut. Henry, watch your tone."

"She can't just-" Henry began, but fell silent at a look from his mother, sitting back in his chair and looking furious. Alice turned to Elizabeth.

"Don't listen to Maureen, dear," she said. "I had some and I thought it was just fine."

Elizabeth managed a small smile, but somehow she wasn't so hungry anymore.

Later that night in the car, Henry was still tense.

"Henry?" Elizabeth asked timidly. "Are you okay?"

He sighed, taking her hand on the center console.

"I'm sorry about Maureen," he said. She smiled slightly.

"It's okay, Henry," she assured him. "I get it. It's fine."

"It's not," he argued. "She doesn't have the right to talk to you like she did today. I hate that she's like that. I- I just wanted you to have a family holiday for once and actually be able to enjoy it."

"I did have a family holiday," Elizabeth said softly. "Your family may be loud and messy and difficult sometimes, Henry, but...they're your family. I was upset at first, but then later I was watching you play with your siblings in the yard and I realized that that's what family is. I appreciate you being defensive of me, but I had a better holiday weekend than I've had in a long time. You don't need to apologize, Henry."

He squeezed her hand lightly and nodded.

"Well," he said a moment later, "it's a good thing you enjoyed today, because that's what every McCord family holiday is like."

To Elizabeth, that sounded perfect.


	7. Chapter 7

Elizabeth laughed breathlessly as she and Henry raced for cover. Rain was beating down around them, falling against their skin and the ground under their feet. Henry clung to her hand, pulling her along just behind him. Henry's laughter rang through the air around them, mingling with the sound of the pouring rain.

"Come on," Henry laughed as he pulled her the last few feet, fumbling only briefly with the doorknob before they stumbled side-by-side into the little cabin they were staying in for the weekend. Henry pushed Elizabeth up against the door, which shut behind her with a snap.

"Henry," she breathed. Henry leaned in, pressing his lips to the tender, rain-soaked flesh of her neck. He breathed in the sweet scent of Elizabeth, mingling with that of the springtime rain that was still lashing against the windows and walls of the tiny cabin. She gasped at the feeling of his lips on her, and Henry smiled against her skin at the reaction.

"No, Henry," Elizabeth breathed on a laugh, trying to squirm out from under him.

"Baby," he whined, hands settling on her waist. He traced his finger along the strip of exposed skin on her hip and she shivered.

"Henry, I'm freezing," she giggled, leaning her head into his shoulder.

"Oh?" he hummed into her ear. "I can think of some ways to warm you up."

Elizabeth laughed openly in spite of the butterflies that had taken flight in her stomach at his words and gently pushed him back. They'd both gone into this whole deal with the expectation of what was coming; they'd goten pretty intimate already during their makeout sessions that had become a little more, and after nearly six months of dating, they both felt ready to take the next step. It felt like a natural progression, and while neither of them had explicitly said it during the planning of their spring break trip, it had been heavily apparent in the subtext.

"No, Henry, I'm also starving," she said, and bit her lip as she ran a hand through his wet hair. She smiled a little wickedly at him and he found himself slightly breathless at the sight of her sparkling blue eyes and flushed cheeks.

"I promise," she whispered, leaning in close, "later you can warm me up...however you'd like."

With that, she was gone, having ducked out from under his arm. He breathed a laugh as she raced down the hall to the bedroom and shook his head; Elizabeth Adams never ceased to surprise him.

By the time Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom, Henry had changed into dry clothes and started dinner. He looked up from the stove at the sound of her footsteps and felt his breath catch in his throat. Elizabeth's half-dry locks of honey-blonde hair brushed against her shoulders, one of which was exposed. Her long, lean legs peeked out from beneath the hem of what Henry instantly recognized as his own UVA tee-shirt. Seeing her in his clothing was doing things to him that he wasn't sure he had the words to describe. She smiled at him as she met his gaze, swinging her hips almost imperceptibly as she approached.

"Hi," Henry managed as Elizabeth easily lifted herself onto the countertop beside him. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the golden-toned skin on her thighs and exposed shoulder.

"Babe, you're gonna burn that," she remarked off-handedly, not even looking at the pan. Henry looked back at it quickly and swore softly as he made quick movements to stop just that from happening. Elizabeth smiled to herself as she reached over to pluck a berry from the bowl of mixed fruit that was on the counter. She popped it into her mouth and grinned at Henry as he looked back at her.

"You're a cruel woman, Elizabeth Adams," he said, and she laughed, taking another berry in her fingers. She offered it to Henry, who opened his mouth and leaned in so that she could feed it to him. As dinner got back on track, Henry handed Elizabeth the bowl she kept stealing fruit from and she smiled.

"Takes the fun out of it," she remarked, but when Henry reached for it to take it from her, she giggled and pulled it out of his grasp.

"Thought so," Henry said with a smile. Comfortable conversation flowed easily as Henry continued to prepare dinner, all the while stealing glances at the half-dressed woman perched on the countertop.

"Alright," he announced a little while later as he moved to stand before her. His hands settled on her hips and he looked just slightly up at her. "Dinner's ready." His fingers toyed with the hem of the shirt she was wearing as he spoke.

"You gonna comment on this?" she asked. Henry shrugged.

"It looks good on you," he murmured, leaning in to capture her lips with his own. He could feel her smiling into the kiss as his fingers inched along her thigh until they came into contact with the lace of her underwear beneath the worn cotton. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and he hummed appreciatively as she drew him in closer.

"Dinner," he mumbled against her. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, pulling back to look at him with her bright eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Screw dinner," she said, and Henry immediately scooped her off the counter and into his arms, not needing to be told twice. As much as he loved Elizabeth in his clothes, he couldn't wait to get her out of them.

As the two of them tore at each other's clothes with the frenzied eagerness of the young couple that they were, neither Henry nor Elizabeth could deny an underlying edge of nervousness beneath the passion. While they'd both been with other people before, it had never been like this. It had never been so intimate or felt so important, and neither had ever wanted it go as well as they both did just then.

"Henry?" Elizabeth breathed as she backed herself up against the bed and broke their kiss to look up at him.

"Yeah?" he asked. She hesitated.

"Can we just agree to...I don't know, let this happen naturally?" she asked. "I don't want either of us to try to be someone that we're not."

Henry looked at her, love shining in his hazel eyes. Hearing her say something like that, taking the time to be sure that they were being authentic above all else, even if it meant awkwardness and fumbling and potential embarrassment, only made him love her more. He nodded his head, leaning in to kiss her more sweetly than he had been moments before.

"I'm always going to do my best to be authentic with you, Elizabeth," he promised softly. That, she decided, was all she needed to hear, and seconds later her lips were on his again.

Hours later, she lay next to him and smiled slightly- authentic, real, messy, and above all- everything she'd ever wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

Henry had not grown up with money. He didn't have friends with money. He didn't have family with money. He was not familiar with the comfortably well-off lifestyle that his girlfriend of eight months, Elizabeth Adams, had apparently been living her whole life. Truthfully, he'd been surprised to learn that she came from such a well to-do family. She didn't seem like the type; she wore the same pair of boyfriend jeans as often as she could manage it, and he'd teased her about her favorite and most comfortable sweatshirt more than once. She didn't own anything that was flashy, and her overall personality was down to earth and humble. Learning that she'd managed all of that with less than humble beginnings only made Henry admire it about her even more. It showed strength of character, and that was important to Henry.

However, while Elizabeth herself showed no signs of her status, they'd been dating for some time and now, after meeting his family at spring break, she'd invited him to come home with her. It had been a big step for her; he could see it in the way she'd asked, and he wouldn't have dreamed of saying no when it was clearly such an important thing for her. For her to be opening up another chapter of her life to him was not something he was going to screw up in any way. He was determined of that. Yet, as they drove along a tree-lined driveway that led to a house which Henry could have fit at least two of his childhood homes in, he had to admit he was intimidated. She'd assured him it wouldn't be a big deal; the aunt that she lived with wasn't even going to be there, and her brother would be leaving within the first couple of days for a trip with his friends. They would largely be spending the week the same way they would have at UVA, just in a different setting. However, the setting was exactly what was unnerving Henry. He had never been exposed to anything quite like this, and he couldn't help but wonder in spite of himself what his dad would have to say about the whole thing.

"Here we are," Elizabeth said. "We'll unpack later; let's go see the horses."

He'd never seen her so excited. She was normally quite guarded, and seeing her like this was refreshing. As he got out and followed her across the grass, he tried not to gawk at the house or the impeccably maintained grounds around it. Elizabeth, meanwhile, seemed perfectly at home, and Henry tried to focus on that. Seeing her so happy made him feel warm inside, and he loved that he was able to witness that.

"Hi, beautiful," she was saying to the horse in the first stall by the time he reached her. She seemed so comfortable around them, and while they made Henry slightly nervous, he was strangely calmed by Elizabeth's ease.

He watched and listened as she animatedly told him about each of the horses in the stable, explaining their names and how old they were and which ones were good for which kind of riding. Her blue eyes were alight with joy and her blonde ponytail swished as she turned from the horse to Henry and back again rapidly while she gestured in emphasis. She looked so beautiful, afternoon sunlight shining on her skin and lighting up the lightest shades of her hair. He was captivated by her, as he always was, but somehow in those moments even more so than usual. He just remained silent, smiling at her as she explained it all to him, rambling on about trail rides and jumps and dressage and horseshoes. This was a new side of her, and Henry had very quickly decided that he adored it. This, he thought, might be his favorite side of Elizabeth. When she'd finished making her rounds to each stall, she ended up close to him again, on the opposite side from where she'd started, and she finally stopped talking long enough for him to get a word in edgewise, not that he'd been trying. He smiled, still didn't speak, and reached out to take her hand, pulling her close to him. There, framed in the doorway of the stable, he kissed her gently. She smiled against him and his hand rested on her hip, just at the waistband of her favorite jeans.

"You are incredible," he said softly, and she laughed. She pulled back to look at him, smiling up at him as her familiar ocean eyes met his.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said, and just like that Henry didn't feel so out of place anymore. It hit him suddenly, and hard, and he swallowed against the feeling that crept into him. It was as if, with everything that she was, every wonder that she incited within him, Elizabeth had become something more than he'd realized she was. She'd become home. With her at his side, Henry had suddenly realized, he felt like he was home, no matter where he was. He thought, in that moment, that he could have been anywhere in the world but as long as she was looking at him like that, he'd feel like he was right where he belonged.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He smiled brightly at her.

"Never better," he answered truthfully, because Henry McCord was quite certain he'd just kissed the woman he was going to marry and spend the rest of his life with.

"Okay," she answered with a smile. "You're looking at me weird."

Henry shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"It just makes me happy to see you so happy," he told her, and she couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well," she began, "you're about to see me even happier because we're going riding!"

Henry was unsure about that, but he just nodded; right then, he would have followed her to the ends of the earth, be it on foot, in a plane, or even on horseback.

"You gotta take it slow," Elizabeth was laughing nearly two hours later as she and Henry headed back toward the stable. Henry was walking, holding the reins of the horse he had been riding- that was, until he'd gotten a little too confident and ended up on the ground. He was unhurt, though a little sore, and Elizabeth was getting quite the kick out of the whole thing.

"I told you," she added, still laughing. Henry nodded reluctantly.

"You did," he admitted.

"Should have listened to me," Elizabeth sang.

"What's new?" Henry shot back at her with a grin over his shoulder.

"Exactly," Elizabeth laughed. As they approached the stable, Henry became aware of a figure leaning against the stable door, too far away still for Henry to make out.

"Who's that?" he asked as he squinted at the figure. Elizabeth looked, and then smiled.

"That's my brother," she replied, and then she was gone, racing ahead of Henry to get to the stable more quickly, leaving Henry shaking his head. By the time he reached them, Elizabeth was off of the horse and the Adams siblings were hugging, one enthusiastically and the other rather reluctantly. They broke apart when Henry reached them, and Elizabeth smiled at him.

"Henry, this is my brother Will. Will, Henry," she said.

"Hey," Will said, and Henry held his hand out to shake his. Henry was well aware of the fact that he was meeting the only remaining living member of Elizabeth's nuclear family, and he subconsciously drew himself up slightly.

"Hey," Henry replied. "It's great to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Will said. His eyes, as calculating and warm as Elizabeth's, raked over Henry and the horse that he was walking next to. When he met Henry's gaze again, his eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"Didn't quite make it, huh?" he surmised. Henry shook his head slightly.

"Not quite," he said. Will looked between Henry and Elizabeth and laughed as he clapped Henry on the shoulder.

"You've got a lot to learn about my sister and her tricks," Will said. "She gave you the fiestiest horse in this place."

"Hey!" Elizabeth objected. "You didn't have to out me like that, you know."

Will laughed as he turned and headed toward the house.

"What are brothers for?" he called, and Henry just grinned. He didn't mind; being thrown from a horse and ending up with wounded pride seemed to him a small price to pay.


End file.
